DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 037 780 CG 005 185

AUTHOR Bolea, Angelo S.; And Others
TITLE The Development and Validation of a Pictorial
Self-Concept Scale for Children in K-4.
INSTITUTION Maryland Univ., College Park.; Purdue Univ.,
Lafayette, Ind.
PUB DATE Mar 70
NOTE 11p.; Paper presented at National Council on
Measurement in Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
March, 1970
EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$0.65
DESCRIPTORS Childhood Attitudes, *Elementary School Students,
Human Development, Measurement, *Measurement
Techniques, *Self Concept, Self Esteem, *Self
Evaluation, *Test Construction
ABSTRACT
The study discusses the development of a
self-concept measure for children in kindergarten and the lower
elementary grades. A scale (Pictorial Self-Concept Scale), was
constructed from children's statements about themselves. This scale
was administered to kindergarten through fourth grade subjects. Each
child separated 50 cartoon picture cards into three piles depending
on whether the specific child in the cartoon is like him, not like
him, or sometimes like him. Scoring was based on placement of the
card and the weighted card value. A panel of psychologists and human
development specialists ranked the cards according to importance to a
child's self-concept on a continuum from positive to negative. Two
validity hypothesis were tested: (1) a significant relationship
exists between scores on the pictorial self-concept scale and the
Piers and Harris self-concept measure, and (2) scores for subjects
judged by principals and teachers as having positive self.-concepts
will be different from those judged by principals and teachers as
having negative self-concepts. The constructed scale has been
successfully used in five other research projects. (author/MC)
 U.S. DEPARTMENT Of HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED IRON THE
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POSITION OR POLICY.

The Development and Validation of a Pictorial

1
Self-Concept Scale for Children in K-4

Angelo S. Bolea
University of Maryland

Donald W. Felker
Purdue University

Margaret D. Barnes
University of Maryland

The purpose of this research was to develop a self-concept measure

which ccuid be used with children in kindergarten and the lower elementary

grades. The self-concept has been frequently mentioned as an important

variable in education (Hamachek, 1965; LaBenne and Greene, 1969; McCandless,

1967), but little research has been conducted on the development and

functioning of the self-concept in the early elementary years. One reason

for this lack is that few instruments for measuring the self-concept in the

pre-reading years are available. It was determined that there was a need

for a non-verbal instrument which could be efficiently administered to

groups of children.

Measurement of the self-concept has been criticized as constituting a

number of inaccurate, and even contradictory, set of measuring devices

(Crowne and Stephens, 1961; Wylie, 1961). Because of this criticism of self-

concept measurement in the past it was determined that the present scale

would be developed from definitions of the construct that had been used

in developing other scales of high reliability and for which there was
141
IL* some validity evidence.
O One of the approaches which has been used

successfully in the development of self-concept measures for children in

1. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on
Measurement in Education, Minneapolis, March, 1970.
gl
1111
the upper-elementary years has been to look at statements which children

make about themselves as a basis for constructing self-concept items

(Perkins, 1958; Piers and Harris, 1964). It was, therefore, determined

that the present scale would be constructed from the base of children's

statements about themselves.

Development of Item Pool

Cartoon-type pictures were drawn as representations of Jersild's

(1952) categories of what children said they liked and disliked about

themselves. After the cartoons were drawn a panel of judges determined

that, with the exception of "privacy", each of Jersild's categories was

represented in the set of pictures. This determination was made by the

judges sorting the cartoons back into Jersild's categories with no prior

knowledge as to which category the particular cartoon was supposed to re-

present. Some items were revised on the basis of suggestions of these judges.

The final pool was reduced to 50 cartoons, with each of Jersild's categories

represented except "privacy".

Administration and Scoring

The Pictorial Self-Concept Scale (will be referred to as PSC) was

administered to 1813 subjects comprising all of the children attending 56

classrooms on the day of testing. This testing was done in connection with

an evaluation of the child and youth study program of the Institute for Child

Study of the University of Maryland (Raft, 1969).

Each child was given a deck of 50 three by five cards. Each card con-

tained a cartoon picture. The scale is differentiated for sex so that the
central figure in the cartoon is distinguished as male or female by

The activity pictured is the same for each sex.

Girls
clothing and hair.

is female and boys are given

are given cards on which the central figure

Each child was told to deci de

cards on which the central figure is nale.
(the central
whether the child with the star on his shirt in the picture
Each child
figure) was like him, not like him, or sometimes like him.
placed on three different
separated the pictures into separate piles that are

sized and different colors of paper. One color and size represented "like

and size
me", another color and size "sometimes like me", and another color
placement of items on
"not like me". A teacher or an assistant recorded the

the children finished. Later, these

a three-column numbered score sheet as
sheet where the value of the
scores were transferred to the weighted score
1
placement of the item was tabulated.

the card and the weighted value

Scoring is based on the placement of
(1967) rationale
of the card. This procedure was developed using McCandless'
of two
for self - concept;. McCandless says that self-concept is composed

and the value of the

aspects, the individual's rating of himself in areas
the individual's
particular areas. The placement of the card was accepted as

rating of himself in the area. The value of the areas was determined by

psychologists and human development

expert judgment. A panel of eight
would be
specialists ronkod the 50 cartoon-cards according to which items

a continuum from positive

of most importance to a child's self-concept on
accepted as the
to negative. The average rank of the eight judges was

and are available

1. Two computerized scoring programs have been developed
University of Maryland.
through Angelo Bolea, Institute for Child Study,
 4

weighted value of the card. The reliability of the ranking was tested

using the coefficient of concordance. The coefficient was .85, p<.05.

Leans and standard deviations for the test are presented in Table 1.

Insert Table 1

Reliability and Validity

The split-half reliability with 1813 subjects was .85 corrected for

length. This would seem to be comparable to the reliability coefficients

grade
which Piers and Harris (1964) found in their sixth and tenth

samples.
The first type
The evidence concerning validity is of two types.

follows the recommendations of Cronbach and Heehl (1955) concerning

construct validation of psychological tests. The authors have gathered

evidence which has been specifically designed to give validity information.

The second type of validity information has been the result of successful

use of the scale in research. The hypotheses of the studies quoted were not

primarily formulated to test the valility of the instrument, but the fact

that the instrument has been used in hypotheses testing where the

hypotheses have been confirmed can be interpreted as evidence of the

validity of the scale.

The authors advanced two hypotheses concerning the validity of the

instrument. If the PSC scale measures self-concept, then:

1. there will be a significant relationship between scores on the

PSC and the Piers and Harris self-concept measure. The correlations

are presented in Table 2 and support the hypothesis.

 5

Insert Table 2

2. the scores for subjects judged by principals and teachers as

having positive self-concepts will be different from those judged

by principals and teachers as having negative self-concepts.

At the time of the administration of the PSC, and before test results

were known teachers and principals were asked to select a boy and a girl

with a positive self-concept and a boy and a girl with a negative self-

concept from each of the first, second, and third grade classrooms. Only

those subjects on which there was agreement were used in testing the

hypothesis. The analysis for differences is found in Table 3.

Insert Table 3

In addition to these two validity hypotheses the scale has successfully

been used in the following research:

Storm (1968) found that 91% of a sample of 34 Negro first graders had

both a negative self-concept and a distorted race image.

Sun (1969) chose a positive self-concept group (N60) and a negative

self-concept group (N=60) using the PSC. Her prediction that the high self-

concept group would be less restricted in their drawing was supported.

Desrosiers (1968) tested the hypothesis that students who have perceptual

impairment as measured by the Frostig test of visual perception will also

have negative self-concepts. The hypothesis was supported using the PSC.
 6

Vols (1968) found on increase in self-concept scores associated with

an increase in differentiation of self-portraits in a study involving 65

children.

Zoppetti (1967) found a positive relationship between changes in peer

ratings and changes in self-concept using the PSC with a sample of educable

mentally retarded children.

Summary

A self-concept scale for children in K-4 was developed using cartoon

pictures representing Jersildls categories of children's responses. The

validations studies reviewed and the successful use of the scale in a number

of investigations of self-concept indicate that the scale is useful with

children in situations where reading ability has not yet been gained.
 References

Bolea, Angelo. Preliminary report on evaluation of a 2 year child and

youth study program, mimeographed material. Institute
for Child Study, University of Maryland, College Park,
Maryland, 1969.

Cronbach, L. J., & iieehl, P. E. Construct validity in psychological

tests. Psychological Bulletin,, 1955, 52, 281-302.

Crowne, D. P., & Stephens, U. Self-acceptance and self-evaluative

behavior: a critique of methodology. Psychological
Bulletin, 1961, 58, 104-121.

Desrosiers, B. The relationship between perceptual impairment and self-

concept. Unpubliched manuscript, University of
Maryland, 196g.

Hamachek, De E. (Ed.). The self in growth, teaching, and learning,

selected readings. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-
Hail, 1965.

Jersild, A. T. In search of self. New York: Teachers College,

Bureau of Publications, 1952.

LaBenne, W. D., & Greene, B. I. Educational implications of self-concept

theory. Pacific Palisades: Goodyear, 1969.

McCandless, B. R. Children behavior and development, second edition.

New York: Holt, 1967.

Perkins, H. V. Factors influencing change in children's slef -concepts.

Child Development, 1958, 29, 221-230.

Piers, E. V., & Harris, D. B. Age and other correlates of self-concept in

children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1964,
55, 91-95.

Storm, P. A. The relationship between self - concert and race image in

Negro first graders. Unpublished master's thesis,
University of Maryland, 1968.
Sun, K. C. A study of the drawings of children as an indicator of
their self-concepts. Unpublished master's thesis,
University of jaryland, 1969.

Vols, K. An experimental study of the effect of certain classroom

techniques on the self-concept of young children.
Unpublished master's thesis, University of Maryland,
1968.

Wylie, Ruth. The self-concept. Lincoln: The University of Nebraska

Press, 1961.

Zoppetti, Li. L. Study of self-concept of selected classes of educable

mentally retarded children. Unpublished master's
thesis, California State College, Pennsylvania, 1967.
 Table 1

Means and Standard Deviations for Pictorial SelfConcept Scores

Grade
4
1
,- 2
4110moissima......~Bromaan,
3

Girls
N 42 264 350 268 55
x 35.0o 3 5. o0 45.00 49.00 48.0o
SD 32.10 27.48 28.18 28.25 28.51

Boys
N 38 205 297 244 50
X 36.00 35.00 44.00 47.00 47.00
SD 28.16 28.13 28.33 28.41
33.05

Total
N 80 469 647 512 105
x 35.50 35.00 44.61 48.00 47.51
SD 32.51 27.82 28.15 28.29 28.46
 Table 2

Correlation Between PSC and Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale in Fourth Grade

sample

N r P

Girls 30 53

Boys 33 .31

Total 63 .42 < .01

 Table 3

Differences on the Pictorial Self-Concept Scale Between Subjects Designated

By Teachers and Principals as Positive and Negative Self-Concept Groups

N X S.D.

Girls
55.00 25.00 3.880
Positive Self-Concept 32

31 29.00 28.00
Negative Self-Concept

Boys
30.00 2.285*
Positive Self-Concept 31 44.00

36 28.00 27.00
Negative Self-Concept

* p< .05